Prom Queen (song)
Encyclopedia
"Prom Queen" is the first official single off of Lil Wayne
's rock album, Rebirth
. The track is produced by DJ Infamous
and Andrew "Drew" Correa. The song is written by and contains backing vocals from Shanell Woodgett
. The song made its official debut on January 27, appearing on Lil Wayne's MySpace page. The following day, "Prom Queen" was made available for purchase on all online music store
s and Lil Wayne performed the single live for the first time during a concert in San Diego, which was streamed live on AT&T’s FREEdom of Choice and Mobile Music Facebook pages that evening. The song is his debut rock single, and features the Auto-Tune
effect. "Prom Queen" is the most chart successful song on Rebirth.
. Later, Wayne performs with a Gibson Dark Fire guitar at a concert; Young Money artist Shanell Woodgett, who wrote the song, is also seen together with Wayne. During the concert, the girl who shunned Wayne in high school makes her way to the stage. When she reaches her hand out, hoping for Wayne to remember her, Wayne does remember her, and what she did to him; as a result, Wayne turns around just as they are about to touch hands, showing the girl how it felt when she did the same to him. At the end of the video, Wayne and Shanell are seen at the high school gym; they kiss and leave silently.
The video also features the members of nu metal
band Korn
as Wayne's backup band, as well as D. Woods
who is also the older sister of Young Money artist Shanell Woodgett.
based on downloads in the U.S. and rose to number 15 the next week, also a "Hot Shot Debut" at number 26 on the Pop 100
and rose to number 22 the next week, and also charted at number 16 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles. In Canada it also made a "Hot Shot Debut" at number 71 on the Canadian Hot 100
also based on downloads and skyrocketed up to number 36 the next week.
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
's rock album, Rebirth
Rebirth (Lil Wayne album)
Rebirth is the seventh studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released February 2, 2010, on Cash Money Records, Young Money Entertainment and Universal Motown. Originally set to be released in early 2009 before several delays, the album was produced primarily by Cool & Dre, DJ Infamous, DJ...
. The track is produced by DJ Infamous
DJ Infamous
Marco Rodriguez-Diaz, better known by his stage name Infamous, is a Grammy winning record producer and three-time world champion DJ.-Biography:Infamous is a Miami Based Music Producer most known for his work with rapper Lil Wayne...
and Andrew "Drew" Correa. The song is written by and contains backing vocals from Shanell Woodgett
Shanell Woodgett
Shanell Woodgett, known simply as Shanell or SnL is an American pop artist and songwriter. She is signed to Young Money Entertainment, an imprint of Birdman's Universal Republic Records-distributed Cash Money Records.-Biography:...
. The song made its official debut on January 27, appearing on Lil Wayne's MySpace page. The following day, "Prom Queen" was made available for purchase on all online music store
Online music store
An online music store is an online business which sells audio files, usually music, on a per-song and/or subscription basis. It may be differentiated from music streaming services in that the music store offers the actual music file, while streaming services offer partial or full listening without...
s and Lil Wayne performed the single live for the first time during a concert in San Diego, which was streamed live on AT&T’s FREEdom of Choice and Mobile Music Facebook pages that evening. The song is his debut rock single, and features the Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
effect. "Prom Queen" is the most chart successful song on Rebirth.
Music video
The music video premiered on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The music video is about a young, high school Lil Wayne falling in love with a girl at school, but she denies him for someone else when she became prom queen. As they both age, Wayne becomes famous, while the girl becomes pregnant with the baby of her boyfriend who has left her. Wayne records the song "Prom Queen" as newspaper clippings of his life come up, such as his awards at the 2009 Grammy Awards and the major success of his album Tha Carter IIITha Carter III
Tha Carter III is the sixth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne, released June 10, 2008 on Cash Money Records. It follows a long string of mixtape releases and guest appearances on other hip hop and R&B artists records, helping to increase his exposure in the mainstream...
. Later, Wayne performs with a Gibson Dark Fire guitar at a concert; Young Money artist Shanell Woodgett, who wrote the song, is also seen together with Wayne. During the concert, the girl who shunned Wayne in high school makes her way to the stage. When she reaches her hand out, hoping for Wayne to remember her, Wayne does remember her, and what she did to him; as a result, Wayne turns around just as they are about to touch hands, showing the girl how it felt when she did the same to him. At the end of the video, Wayne and Shanell are seen at the high school gym; they kiss and leave silently.
The video also features the members of nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
band Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
as Wayne's backup band, as well as D. Woods
D. Woods
Wanita "D. Woods" Woodgett is an American R&B singer, dancer, and actress. She is a former member of the girl group Danity Kane. Woods is the founder and CEO of Woodgrane Entertainment.-Early life:...
who is also the older sister of Young Money artist Shanell Woodgett.
Chart performance
"Prom Queen" started to make an impact on the charts in early February. It made a "Hot Shot Debut" at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
based on downloads in the U.S. and rose to number 15 the next week, also a "Hot Shot Debut" at number 26 on the Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
and rose to number 22 the next week, and also charted at number 16 on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles. In Canada it also made a "Hot Shot Debut" at number 71 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
also based on downloads and skyrocketed up to number 36 the next week.
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
15 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 16 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
22 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
36 |
| Australian ARIA Urban Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
10 |